Boys’ Life blogs

Brought to you by Clay Swartz, associate editor of Boys’ Life magazine, Heads Up is your one-stop destination for the coolest stuff from around the globe. Plus there will be plenty of chances to win free stuff, so check in as much as possible.

Line X is one of the world’s most unique substances. The polymer spray makes almost anything indestructible. It’s most commonly used in truck beds, but Line-X can also protect a watermelon, an egg and a lightbulb from shattering on impact.In fact, it’s even being used to make bulletproof vests and other protective gear for soldiers and police officers. According to Popular Mechanics: Line-X is a mixture of two different molecules with very long names. The two molecules are kept separate until they’re sprayed on a surface, at which point they undergo a chemical reaction. In this chemical reaction, the two molecules bind together, creating a single molecule called polyurea. This molecule contains very long chains of atoms, and these long chains are the secret of Line-X’s strength. These chains are long enough that they get tangled together at the atomic scale, which makes them extremely hard to pull apart. At the same time, they’re extremely flexible, which produces the elastic effect. In the video below, a scientist dives into how Line-X works.

Drones are cool, but they’re also expensive and have some major federal rules associated with them. That’s what makes this throwable GoPro gadget from AER so cool. You simply lock in your GoPro into the foam AER flyer and you can safely toss it around your campsite, backyard or anywhere else. The result? Epic videos and photos from angles you’d never achieve without a drone. AER hits stores in January 2017. It’ll cost around $50. Click here to learn more about AER.

Love books? This is the right place. Get chances to win free books, the latest info on cool new books and pretty much anything else related to – wait for it … BOOKS! The Book Zone is ruled by Boys’ Life Senior Editor Paula Murphey.

One of the best things about summer is that there’s more time for reading cool books. Without the stress of school and homework, you can finally focus on catching up on some of those books you’ve been meaning to get to all year. Now, summertime reading is even more fun. Scholastic has recently launched a cool summer reading contest that challenges you to log as many minutes of reading you possibly can. You can pick any book you want. If you need help, Scholastic has created an age appropriate reading list that will help you choose the perfect book. Scroll down to look through the list for yourself Download (PDF, 1.5MB)

The Scouting Around blog is your source for Scouting news. Get ideas for your troop by reading about Scouting activities across the country. Biking in Buffalo? Caving in California? Fishing in Florida? Mountain climbing in Montana? Shooting in South Carolina? It’s all in Scouting Around.